Can Space Technology be the Key to Consistent Cannabis?
Space engineers promoting Mars exploration and legal weed farmers have recently teamed up to create ultimate conditions for growing cannabis plants. Called environmentally modified organisms, the (EMO) system works by manipulating the six top external factors that affect growth in plants: water, temperature, humidity, light, carbon dioxide and nutrients.
The collaboration started when Mike Dixon, director of Guelphs Controlled Environment Systems Research Facility, hit a roadblock while working on various projects related to supporting life on Mars. His work focused on the sustainability aspects of the lengthy mission, which includes creating a reliable crop cultivation process that ensures consistent and stable yields.
But because funding for such ventures is scarce (during an interview with Motherboard, Dixon pointed out that no one is currently interested in funding long-term research for an experimental trip to the Red Planet), the researcher was forced to turn to a booming sector with heaps of investors, and goals that can help advance research in the nascent field of EMO.
EMO and Cannabis
The sector that Dixon was referring to is the legal weed space. The researcher is working closely with botanists from ABcann, an Ontario-based medical marijuana producer, to hone and refine the EMO process. Before legalization, cannabis was grown illegally in closets or far-flung growing houses. Most rogue cultivators were interested in developing the potent characteristics of their plants by boosting THC levels. The process was very effective, but also inconsistent. That didnt matter because the underground marijuana market was not subject to tight regulations.
But with cannabis legalization on the rise, many officials are calling for standardization. Patients want to know exactly how much THC or CBD theyre consuming to avoid over medication. This has led to major crackdowns on cannabis product labels from leading marijuana research firms, like Steep Hill Labs.
Not long ago, a large percentage of the cannabis being provided to patients had gone without any quality assurance measures or potency testing. Needless to say, the industry didnt have the same access to knowledge and technology like the present day market ...
